Is my stereo original

[Tineca]

Hi folks in the picture below you can see my 1985 323i has two stereos. The CD is an addition but neatly installed. Is the alpine unit original do you think? I know blaupunkt were the main stereos but was alpine an option? Thanks Jed

[flybynite]

Your 323i is a couple of years newer than mine, but the original stereos for the 323i were either Blaupunkt or Becker. I still have the original stereo for mine with its handbook. I think many dealers would fit whatever the client wanted though.

Have a feeling that Alpine stereo is from a few years later as in '85 they tended to have twiddle knobs for balance and fader not sliders. Those small sliders above the volume were from around '88 '89 '90 sort of time.

It is period '80s but not sure it would have been in it from new.

Could easily date it from the model number but can't read it from the photo.

And before Stefan shouts nerd I was picking stereos for my E30 at that time and I'm not yet old enough not to remember

[Tineca]

Thanks that's fab. It's a cracking sound. I will post model number up on Friday. Cheers Jed

[djkostas]

Sorry for the offtopic but I would be very interested to see how they managed to fit that radiocd there.

[flybynite]

Sorry for the offtopic but I would be very interested to see how they managed to fit that radiocd there.

Just cut a hole in the centre consol? Plenty of room, I had an amplifier sat there in mine in the day. Wouldn't do it now given price of new ones

[Tineca]

Yes I think exactly as fly-by-night has said. Would have been something to show off in 1987 ha ha.

[djkostas]

Thanks for the answers.
Did a more thorough google search and figured that mine has the "Heater/air conditioning unit" over there.
Here's a random image of how mine looks and why I was confused on how a radio could fit there.

[Tineca]

Jealous of your on board computer ha ha

[Speedtouch]

Jed,
I've noticed in several of your photos, that the car seems to revving quite high at what I presume is idle - it should settle down, following a brief warm up period (during which, it will be at around 1000-1500 rpm, to around 700-750 rpm.

Quite a common problem on the L-Jetronic cars is that the water-heated air-slide valve seizes up, which causes the idle to remain too high.
See:
https://www.e30zone.net/e30wiki/index.p ... lide_Valve

[flybynite]

Quite a common problem on the L-Jetronic cars is that the water-heated air-slide valve seizes up, which causes the idle to remain too high.

But the up-side on the late 323i is it reduces the piston slap while warming up !!

[Tineca]

Hi speedtouch. That's a fab tip. As yet I am waiting for a cambelt so have not ran the car much as its been idle for 13 years. But when I have I have noticed it does not drop down after 5 minutes of running. I will test out your tip there tomorrow and feedback. Thanks very much for the pointer. Cheers Jed

[Speedtouch]

Hehe, I only noticed it because I used to own a 1987 L-Jet 320i, whose idle speed never dropped below about 1,200 rpm, and sometimes as high as 1,500+ rpm. I only found out what the issue may have been after I sold it, and browsed through the E30 Zone's Wiki pages.

[Tineca]

Well it's also full of stale petrol as been sitting for 13 years. Gonna pop some in as on red and then let it sit for 20 mins then pinch that pipe here's a pic of that alpine close up. Please join in with my joyful celebration as I got a new bulb in the clock. Then join me on the thread asking for help re doors where my clock joy is wiped out with cut knuckle woe

[flybynite]

here's a pic of that alpine close up.

Don't know the exact year but it is late 80s around '89 so I would say not original.

Good luck with the rest of it, always blood with E30s

[Tineca]

Cheers mate

[Tzantushka]

Don't know the exact year but it is late 80s around '89 so I would say not original.

+1
Looks like a 7xxx series circa 1990.
Here in Australia Alpine units were fitted as OE but branded as BMW.

[flybynite]

Here in Australia Alpine units were fitted as OE but branded as BMW.

The were fitted OE here too but they had red backlighting to match the rest